Wednesday, September 1, 2010

I've always loved the marbled fore-edges and endpages of old tomes. Seems such a frivolous, unnecessary thing in this age of e-books and PDFs, but someone spent the effort on beauty, making sure the world is aware that contained within is A Very Important Book. The unabridged dictionary at the library is dappled in a very simple pattern and yet it rests on its own wooden stand in the reference department, apart from the miscellaneous rabble of the rest of the 400s.

Marbling paper is a somewhat magical process - float and swirl pigments on a liquid, dip paper in and you have one of the oldest and most beautiful forms of decoration in history. So imagine my delight when I learned I could carry this sort of design with me, on any day I chose.

The fold in the middle of your third finger reminds me of Don Rickle's mouth,"Why are you looking up here dummy- she wants you to look at the nails". It has been said that the way you wear your Claddaugh ring (on which finger and heart "in" or "out") signifies your relationship status. Oh, and the nails are magnificent. I always like how green and gold treat the eye.

Dr. Mac - According to the all-knowing Wikipedia (not!) it's more which hand, and which direction than which finger.

"The wearing of a Claddagh ring in modern usage is usually intended to convey the wearer's romantic availability, or lack thereof. The ring is worn on the right hand with the heart oriented away from the wearer, to show that the wearer is not romantically linked. When turned the other way, it shows that the wearer is in a relationship, or their heart has been "captured". When worn on the left hand with the heart oriented again away from the wearer, it implies the wearer is engaged; turned the other way, it indicates the wearer is married."

I love my Claddagh ring -- I'd wanted one for ages but didn't want to buy one for myself. So my best friend got me a heavy silver one, for Xmas a few years back. It always makes me happy to see one on other people!

I emailed your post to my sisters, and had several exchanges with one about your nails. I've watched the tutorial, so I was able to correct her on thinking you were using some sort of fake "tips", I think she called them. What caught her eye, and mine, is the paint line near the cuticle. I pointed out it is from masking it with tape (scotch). Difficult to do with one hand!

Two suggestions: try using masking tape for paint. Especially the blue stuff from 3M? (store it in a zip lock baggie so it doesn't go bad- painters masking tape has a short shelf life) Then, see if you can come up with a form to precut the piece that will go at the base of the nail. Probably have to make a custom outline for each finger, although the forms for one hand might be the same for the matching finger on the other. Masking tape can be peeled and re-stuck, so you can stick it to a clean surface and use an Exacto knife or razor blade to trace a shape, and then peel and transfer to your finger. (BTW, masking tape is available in widths from 1/8" to 2")

If this helps you get more perfect, less frustrating results, you might pass it on to the originator, as I could see she has the same difficulty with masking lines. I used to do some work in my dad's auto-body/paint shop when I was younger. It's hard enough trying to mask a curving line with two hands. What you are doing would drive me up a wall. By the second finger, I'd be looking for a better, easier process! Still, it's a really neat looking result you end up with. Lots of room for creativity in the technique.